| |
Just a little search, a little authentic thirst and you are bound to find one.
Now you are entering into a world, a totally different world. You are not acquainted with it. You are moving from the sleeping world to the world of awakening. That is initiation: your desire to wake up and the presence of somebody awakened who can fulfil your desire.
The whole process of sannyas is that of awakening. We are asleep, not in the ordinary sense but in a metaphysical sense. We don't know who we are, how can we be called awake? We don't know from where we are coming, how can we be called awake? We don't know where we are going, how can we be called awake? We don't know anything that is essential. We know much that is rubbish -- we know everything about the moon and the sun and the earth and we know history and geography -- but we know nothing about ourselves. We know nothing about the knower -- and that should be the primary concern of any real education.
Sannyas is the beginning of a real education. The fundamental is that you have to become aware of yourself, of who you are. And only you can do that.
I indicate the way, I can call you forth. You must have heard the story... Lazarus died but his sisters, Mary and Martha, waited for Jesus to come. They had great trust that he would come and he would call Lazarus forth from death, back to life. The whole village was laughing at their stupidity: how can you revive a man who is dead? But they waited.
Jesus came... Lazarus' dead body was kept in a cave. Jesus went close to the cave and from outside he shouted loudly "Lazarus, come out!" The story is beautiful. The whole village had gathered to see; they saw Lazarus coming out from the cave, almost dazed, as if he had been fast asleep for four days, as if he had been drunk. He was shaky, trembling, but he came out.
The most significant thing about the story is not that a dead man becomes alive. that is only a parable, not a fact. The significant thing is that Jesus calls forth "Lazarus, come out!" Lazarus has to come out, Jesus can only call forth. He can only shout, you have to listen.
My whole effort here is to call forth Lazaruses.
|
|
|